Generally, as a picture reading apparatus for reading a photographic manuscript to change it into electronic (picture) information, scanners of the flat bed type or scanners of the handy type used as the computer peripheral equipment, image scanners for facsimile, etc. as monochrome, and the like are well known. For example, in the flat bed type scanner as the computer peripheral equipment, a manuscript set (placed) on the manuscript mounting table is directly scanned by the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) line sensor to thereby read picture information such as characters, graphics, and/or picture images, etc. on the manuscript.
At this time, the manuscript set on the manuscript mounting table is fixed, and the light source for irradiating light onto the manuscript and the CCD line sensor where a reflected light from the manuscript is focused are moved with respect to the manuscript set on the manuscript mounting table, whereby picture information on the manuscript is read. Moreover, for size designation of the manuscript thus set and/or improvement in picture quality, pre-scan operation depending upon computer is first carried out. Further, after such pre-scan operation is completed, the main scan operation for reading picture information is carried out.
The picture information on the manuscript which have been read in this way are inputted to the computer respective an input picture signals. The computer converts the input picture signals obtained by the flat bed type scanner as described above into picture display signals to display picture images based on these picture display signals on the display unit connected to the computer.
However, since the conventional picture reading apparatuses carry out the picture reading operation basically in a manner dependent upon the computer, those apparatuses are not suitable for reading picture information of a large of manuscripts at a high speed. Moreover, in order to read a large number of manuscripts, much processing time was required. In addition, also with respect to color correction, etc., color correction processing based on the experiment, or the like was required. As a result, much time was required until one manuscript can be completely read.
This invention has been made in view of actual circumstances of the prior arts as described above, and an object of this invention is to provide a picture reading apparatus adapted to change pictures (pictorial images) recorded on an optical film developed in, e.g., processing laboratory for optical film, etc. into electronic information, i.e., to convert such pictures into picture data to display, on the monitor, picture images based on the picture data, and/or to automatically read pictures of plural frames recorded on the optical film to record those pictures as the picture data which have been changed into electronic information onto a recording medium.